Phil White, owner of Phil's Pro Auto shop in Garden City, looks at the engine of an older model Jeep. White partnered up with Women2Women, a nonprofit organization that helps women in need with such things as auto repairs.

If you are interested in donating to Women2Women or for more information go to www.greeleyw2w.org.

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Phil White, owner of Phil’s Pro Auto shop in Garden City, began to help women in need before he partnered up with Women2Women, a non-profit organization that provides monetary grants to women.

A year or so prior to working with the organization, White had been motivated by the response of a woman he had helped out with car problems and settled — by verbal agreement — on a payment plan that fit her low income.

“She came in to pay the last of what she owed, and she thanked me for fixing her car but, more importantly, for trusting her word that she would pay back,” White said.

He said these women are typically in a situation where they have lost their trust in the world around them and feel the world does not trust them.

The woman’s response surprised White. He never thought his actions would affect her so much, they would also help restore the woman’s life. She now has a better paying job and drives a car in better condition.

And so, when Marlene Monson, executive director for Women2Women and a longtime client of his, called White to ask if he would like to help the organization by being the “go-to-mechanic” when they needed a woman’s vehicle fixed, he did not hesitate to agree.

“I realized that working with this organization would allow me to do several things. I can educate vehicle owners who can really benefit from that knowledge and it gives me the opportunity to help them solve their vehicle issues and give back to the community in a more focused way,” White said at the organization’s annual luncheon last month at the Greeley Country Club, where he was a guest speaker.

Women2Women began in 2009 with the purpose of helping women in Weld County with financial struggles.

President Kay Broderius had the idea to open an organization similar to one she served on when she lived in Longmont.

“There are many organizations here that help women but, other than Women2Women, I don’t know of one that is willing to give them cash for their immediate needs. When I moved to Greeley I saw the need to help those women who fell in the cracks in that sense,” Broderius said.

The organization has no office and the 15 women who serve on the board are volunteers. One of their main goals is to empower women who are struggling and tell them to never underestimate “the power of the purse.”

Women2Women first is notified about a woman in need via an online application form. Other organizations and community service providers fill out the applications and work as a mediator and reference for a woman with an immediate financial need. The board gets together and chooses recipients of the up to $500 financial grant within 48 hours of the request.

Broderius said the money goes to help in many ways.

“We have helped single mothers pay their rent, some women have paid their school textbooks, car problems, medical expenses — there is a long list of where the money goes toward,” she said.

All the women who are helped by Women2Women stay anonymous to protect their confidentiality and integrity.

“The only thing we ask of them after is to pay it forward, and money is not required to do so. We ask them to do so with a simple act of kindness,” Broderius said.

The organization’s first fundraiser was by members who each asked 10 of their friends to donate $100 dollars. They met their goal — $10,000.

Donations and fundraising this year have netted the organization $30,000.

To date, the organization has helped 450 women. Many of them needed help with vehicle expenses.

White said he believes helping these women get back on their feet is more important than fixing their vehicles and it gives them a relief of financial worries.

“I truly believe in this organization,” White said. “They work hard to raise money for the sole purpose to give it away.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Women2Women has helped 540 women to date. The number of beneficiaries was incorrect but has been corrected in this web version of the story.

“I realized that working with this organization would allow me to do several things. I can educate vehicle owners who can really benefit from that knowledge and it gives me the opportunity to help them solve their vehicle issues and give back to the community in a more focused way. — Phil White, Owner of Phil’s Pro Auto Shop in Garden City